The Betrayal
by Bluetech
Summary: Blu and Jewel's newly hatched children are growing strong, and the first months of their lives are rich and rewarding. However, in the midst of a deadly disease, and an unknown visitor, what horrors will befall this happy family?
1. Three Tiny Miracles

Hey, guys! The Wolf is back...with my second Rio fanfic!

This is a sequel to my first work, The Ties That Bind. This one, plus my future works, are going to be way longer, and more comprehensive.

*Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that appear in the movie Rio. It would be pretty cool if I did, though!*

Please review when you finish. If you have to flame, go ahead.

Theme Song: Red-Not Alone

Youtube it, and see how it relates to this story!

~Wolf Out~

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><p><em>Prologue:The hatching of three long-awaited Spix's Macaw chicks signals the start of a new era for Blu and Jewel.<em>

_They realize that raising them will be a difficult journey, but one they will gladly undertake._

_This new era ushers in a well deserved sense of peace for the macaw family._

_However, a new arrival in the jungle is about to shatter that peace. It is waiting in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time...to strike..._

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><p><strong>Chapter 1:Three Tiny Miracles<strong>

Not a single nest, in all of the Blu Bird Sanctuary, could be found that radiated as much pride as the nest belonging to two Spix's Macaws. They stood and stared at the wet forms that quivered amidst the fragments of their former prisons.

"They are just so...lovely! Isn't this the most wonderful day ever, Blu?"

"Yes it is, Jewel. We have been given miracles. Three tiny miracles..."

The sun warmed air began to permeate the hollow, causing the slimy chicks' bodies to dry and fluff up. After a few tense minutes, the once hidden features of the chicks revealed themselves:

One was covered in deep blue feathers, deeper even, than Blu's.

Another chick, however, actually bore strong a resemblance to his father, due to the color of his feathers and a curious tuft of short feathers behind his head.

The last chick seemed to have inherited many of Jewel's characteristics. Her feathers matched the color of the sky above, and behind her head lay a small curtain of feathers.

"How will we tell which ones are boys and which ones are girls?"

"Uh, I think that the two darkest ones are male, and the lightest one is female. Once they wake up, we can make sure."

Soon after, one by one, the three mounds of fuzz lifted their heads up, turning towards Blu and Jewel and prying their eyes open.

"Look at their eyes, Blu. They look just like ours!" Indeed, they did.

The supposed female had azure eyes, tinted slightly darker than Jewel's.

One of the unofficial males shared his sister's eye color, while the other, the smallest one, bore eyes the color of chocolate.

The three pairs of eyes cast a pleading look, and their tiny beaks began making a chirping sound.

"I think that sound means they are hungry, Blu. You should go gather some berries for them."

"Yeah, you're right! I will try to find the smallest berries possible!"

"You just be careful, mister! No need to rush!"

He gave a quick nod before launching himself out into the cool atmosphere of dusk.

Meanwhile, as Jewel was trying to appease the incessant squeaking of her chicks, a lovely sound escaped the beak of the female.

"Hungwy! Hungwy!" The other two chicks soon copied her, and the tone of their tiny voices confirmed Blu's suspicions.

"Blu was right! We have two sons and a daughter!"

As the realization sank in, she felt an unanswered question begin to nag at her mind. "What am I missing? I can't put a talon on it."

She began pacing back and forth in front of the nest. "Oh, that's right! They don't have any names! I have to wait until Blu gets back, though. It would be unfair for me to pick them all by myself!"

She did not have to wait long, because Blu returned moments after she finished speaking.

Blu heard their tiny voices calling out, and he proceeded to reveal the contents of the leaf wrap.

The three chicks clumsily clambered out of the mossy nest and over to the berries, happily chanting, "Foo! Foo!"

Jewel sidled up to her mate and said, "You were right. One of them is a girl, and the other two are boys! I figured it out from their voices after you left. Now, there is one more thing we need to decide."

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"We need to give them their names, silly!"

Blu blinked a few times and replied, "Ohhh. How could I forget! I guess I am not so smart after all!"

Jewel smiled and said, "You see! That is why I love you. So forgetful at the most critical of times!"

Blu blushed, and she pointed at the male with the deep blue feathers. "You can name him. I need some time to think of a name for our other son."

Blu nodded and began churning his brain for an appealing name:

_Manuel? No. Juanito? Too childish. Rodrigo? Too awkward. Ri-Ricardo! Perfect!_"I-I got it! Can we call him Ricardo?"

"I am impressed, Blu. I think it sounds pretty nice. Ricardo it is!"

"Your turn, Jewel! What have you come up with?"

She mentally scrolled through her list of favorite names one more time, selecting one that was dear to her: Vicente. "He is going to be...Vicente."

"That is a lovely name! Where did you get it?"

Jewel began to sob quietly at his question.

"Jewel? Why are you crying?"

"Vi-Vicente was...my father's name..."

Blu remembered what Jewel told him before, after their performance at The Palm, that her parents had been killed shortly after her hatching.

"I-I am sorry, Jewel. I never knew my parents either. I know how you feel. But your father will always be here."

Jewel laid her head on his chest, feeling the soft pulse of his heart. "W-what do you mean?"

"Your father's spirit will live on, in our son. That's why you picked it, right?"

"Yes, but I didn't look at it like that. That makes me feel a little better." She gazed up into his eyes, seeing a twinge of sadness, mixed with hope.

She whispered, "Thank you, Blu." She dried her tears and turned towards their daughter. "You can name her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Uh, okay. Let's see..." He tapped his talon for a few seconds, a habit of his when thinking deeply. "Her name should be...Esperanza. How does that sound?"

"It sounds so smooth. It is a fine choice, Blu. But why did you pick it?"

"I know what it means. It means 'hope'. I chose it because it represents the hope we can always rely on, the hope that is always with us..."

"You are right. Now I understand..." She looked down at her feet as her three children nuzzled into her belly feathers.

What she heard next melted her heart: "We luh you, Ma-ma."

They then moved over to their father and did the same. "We luh y-you, P-papa."

Blu tilted his head down and replied, "I love you too, my wonderful children."

"We no hungwy. We sweepy..."

Blu guided them over to the nest, yawning as they clambered into it. Jewel rearranged the feathers and moss to cover them more fully.

"I guess we could do with a good night's rest too. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day..."

She watched their eyes slide shut as they dozed off.

She and Blu lofted themselves up onto the the branch above their chicks.

"Sweet dreams, my dear."

"Sweet dreams, mister."

As the stars chased away the sun, the only sound that could be heard in the hollow was that of the content breathing of two macaws and their newborn chicks...


	2. Extended Family

**Chapter 2:Extended Family**

One hectic week later, as the jungle was bathed in the light of the noon sun, Jewel decided that she was going to start teaching her children Portuguese.

She was the first to wake, and she yawned and sauntered over to her sleeping offspring.

"_Hora de acordar, meus filhos..._"

The sound of her sweet voice slowly caused them to stir.

They blinked their tiny eyes open and gazed up at her. "Ma-ma?"

They began searching for Blu, and they finally found him, still perched on the overhanging branch. "Pa-pa?"

"Shh, my dears! Your father is still sleeping. Have some breakfast, and then we can start your Portuguese lessons."

"Okay, Ma-ma!"

They trotted happily over to the leftover berries, and began to eat them quite messily. A small chunk of one flew past Jewel and landed on Blu's head.

He felt something sliding down his face, and he peeled open his eyes. He yawned and said, "Whuh the? Whuh was that? Who's there?"

He saw his children turn around, and they started to giggle.

"I am sorry, Blu. Looks like we need to teach _somebody_ their manners!" She turned to Ricardo and said, "_Vergonha em você, Ricardo!_Apologize to your father!"

He stopped giggling and gazed at his feet. "Sorry, Papa."

"It's okay. I slept too late anyways!" He hopped down and his mate tromped over to him.

She whispered, "It is not okay, Blu! He needs to learn his manners! You shouldn't undermine me in front of them!"

"Don't be so hard on him! He's only one week old!"

"And that's old enough for him to know better!"

"Okay, okay! I will help teach him to be more polite in the future. Don't worry!"

She gave an unconvinced huff and walked back over to her children. "Listen up you three, you need to start learning the native language of Brazil. I will teach you only as much as I feel you need to know, for now, ok?"

"Can I listen in too? I have always wanted to learn it. It sounds lovely when you say it, and it sure beats studying from a dictionary!"

"I guess, Blu. But promise not to be a distraction."

He crossed his heart with a swipe of his wing. "I promise, my dear."

He walked up behind his children as Jewel began to speak. "First, you need to learn some greeting phrases. If you want to say "Hello, my name is... you say _Olá, meu nome é_, and then your name. Now you try it!"

Three tiny voices repeated, "_O-olá, meu nome é..._"

"Well done, you three. Blu?"

"Uh, is it _Olá, meu nom a?_"

Jewel laughed slightly at his mis-pronunciation. "Almost, Blu. It's _nome_, not nom. And you say _é_, not a. But it wasn't bad, for a first try."

"I will be sure to work on it. Let's hear something else."

"Yeah! Yeah! Something else, Mama!"

"Woah, hold on! Let me think! Ah-ha! Can you say "_Eu te amo?_"

"_Eu te amo! Eu te amo!_"

"What does that mean, Jewel?"

"It means 'I love you'."

She gazed at the four of them and said, "I. Love. You. All."

"We love you, Mama!" They then turned to Blu and said, "We love you too, Papa!"

Blu and Jewel just smiled at each other proudly. "Okay you three. It's time to focus again. Can you say..."

Jewel's Portuguese lessons continued late into the day, and the sun was only a few hours away from setting.

"Okay. I think that is enough foreign language lessons for one day!"

"More! We want more, Mama!"

Blu calmed them with a stroke of his wing over their bodies, which had grown noticeably over the course of a week. "Jewel is right, my children."

He turned to his mate and said, "Hey, why don't we give them a chance to speak it to other birds?"

"What do you mean, Blu?"

"Remember, we were going to take them to see Linda, Rafael, Pedro and Nico?"

"Oh, I remember. I guess we could, but we can't stay gone too long. Night is only a few hours away."

He and Jewel walked to the edge of the hollow and said, "Come on, children. We are going to go visit your extended family!"

"Yay! Let's go!"

Blu leaped first from the hollow, followed by Vicente, Ricardo, and Esperanza. Jewel brought up the rear.

They flew languidly through the jungle, since their chicks' flight skills still needed some work.

They ended up at the foot of a twisted tree, and as Blu called out for Rafael and Eva, two sizable toucans emerged from the hollow.

They approached Blu and his chicks, and although they didn't measure up to Blu, they were large compared to his chicks.

"Who are you? And why are you looking for our parents?"

Blu realized that they had only seen him for a short while, when he and Jewel had been attacked by them. They had been much smaller then, compared to now.

"Rafael and Eva are good friends to us. I remember seeing you guys when you were still tiny. Don't you remember the little 'ambush' you launched on me and Jewel?"

"Ohhh yeah! I remember! You and that other macaw were chained together! Don't you see, Sophia!"

"Hey, it_ is_them! I was the one who pulled out your feathers! It was so much fun!"

Blu gave a sarcastic snort in response.

Jewel then asked, "Anyways, where are they?"

Sophia replied, "They went to go find some food for dinner. They should be back soon. Are these your chicks?"

Jewel replied, "Why, yes. We came to introduce them to your parents!"

"I think you should surprise them! Tell them to go hide behind that fern. Hurry!"

Jewel nodded and ushered them behind the large fern leaf. "Your Aunt and Uncle are coming. Stay here until we call you, okay?"

"Okay, Mama!"

She returned to Blu's side as they waited for Rafael and Eva.

Marco saw a patch of the nearby jungle quiver, and he saw his parents burst through the leaves. "Look everyone! Here they come!"

The others turned to face them as the two toucans lighted down. They each carried a mango in their beaks, and various fruit clutched in their talons.

They dropped their load and Eva barreled into Jewel, hugging her tightly. "It's been too long, my dear! How have you been?"

"Just. Fine. I. Can't. Breathe..."

She promptly loosened her vice grip on her friend. "Sorry, girl! It's just that I have missed you..."

Meanwhile, Blu was chatting it up with Rafael.

"How is life going, Blu?"

"Pretty well, I would say. What about you?"

"Well, it's been pretty good. The kids are almost grown up. Some of them left early..."

"Oh. I am sorry about that."

"Ah, don't worry. They promised to come visit us, and besides, I still have my beautiful wife to keep me company!"

The small group of birds conversed for some time, when all of a sudden, two colorful birds flew up.

"Hey, look Nico! We got the whole family right here!"

Nico replied, "Yeah, you right, Pedro! Well, what's crackin' family?"

Blu spoke up first: "Not much, Nico. We just came to visit Rafael and Eva. How did you find us?"

"We went to your nest, and nobody was home. So we came to ask Rafael if he saw you. We didn't know you was already here!"

"So, how have you guys been?"

"Still keeping it real, Rafi!"

"Yeah, me and Pedro have been at The Palm all day, dancin' the samba!"

Jewel nodded to Blu during this exchange, and he turned around to see Esperanza peek her head out. He gestured slightly for her to wait, and he proceeded to move in front of the others.

"Hey guys, me and Jewel have a surprise for you all."

She moved to his side and wrapped a wing around him. The others all donned questioning looks.

"What is it? What do you mean 'surprise'?"

Blu and Jewel shouted, "Just hold on. You will find out shortly."

They turned and gazed past the anxious crowd. Blu faced the innocent fern leaf and said, "You can come out now!"

The fern leaf moved languidly aside, and three small blue objects crept out. They waddled happily to their parents' side and nuzzled into their snug bellies.

The others just stood there, dumbfounded, before erupting into joyous shouts. Nico and Pedro exclaimed, "We can't believe you two lovebirds have children!"

Marco and Sophia added, "They are so adorable!"

Eva said, "They are so cute! You just made this toucan a little jealous!"

"Thank you. Thank you all! We knew you guys would go crazy!"

Rafael asked the most important question of all: "What are their names?"

Jewel leaned down to the three of them and whispered, "Go ahead, _meus filhos._Introduce yourselves, just like I taught you..."

Ricardo hesitantly stepped forward, trying to repeat what he had learned. "Uh, _O-olá, meu nome é Ricardo!_"

Esperanza and Vicente followed suit, and smiles grew on the others' faces.

Rafael and Eva said, "Those are wonderful names! Vicente looks just like his father, and Esperanza looks like Jewel!"

The others nodded their heads and began playing with the youngsters. After a few minutes of watching her chicks frolic, Jewel noticed the light was fading from the trees, meaning the sun was close to setting.

"Hey, Blu. Come here."

"What is it, Jewel?"

"Don't you see? It is getting late. We should head over to Linda's place now."

"Oh, my! We spent more time here than we intended, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, guys. I know you are having fun, but we want to take the kids over to Linda's place."

The boisterous playing slowed, and the macaw chicks rushed back to their parents. "Who's Linda, Papa?"

"Linda is my owner, Esperanza. I lived in a faraway place with her called Minnesota, before I came to Rio."

"I want to meet her. Can we go? Please?" The other two chicks added, "We want to go too!"

"Of course you can come! Did you think I was going to leave you here! Let's go!"

The macaw family said their goodbyes to their friends, before launching themselves into the cool air, towards the Blu Bird Sanctuary.

Linda and her husband were watching a movie in the living room, since Fernando had already fallen asleep.

They had installed a small, easy to open flap in the front door, so that Blu and Jewel could enter and leave as they pleased.

So enthralled were Linda and Tulio by the movie that they did not hear the creak of the flap being opened. Blu waddled across the soft carpet and nudged Linda's leg.

"Oh! Something just touched my leg, Tulio. Oh, its Blu! How are you doing, buddy?"

She let him perch on her arm, and he turned towards the front door, screeching quietly.

Jewel squawked in response, and Linda stood up, laying her eyes on a joyous sight.

"Look dear! Jewel brought her chicks!" She moved over to the front door, laying her hand out for the little birds to climb into.

The light colored female crept into her hand, and Linda brought her close to her face.

"That one is a female, Linda. Isn't she marvelous?"

She gently stroked the chick, and it chirped with pleasure. She gently set her back down, and she picked up a dark chick, while Tulio picked up the other.

"These two are both males. I can't believe that one's feathers are so dark! Extraordinary!"

Jewel flew up to perch next to Blu, nuzzling the chick in Linda's hand. "You two have lovely children. Me and Tulio couldn't be happier!"

The two macaws gave soft screeches of approval. Linda picked the female back up, holding them both in her right hand.

She and Tulio showed them around their roomy abode, which took nearly an hour. They returned to the living room, and the sky that could be seen from the window was very dark.

"Wow, Tulio. Look how late it is. I bet our macaws would like to go home!"

Tulio stroked Jewel briefly, and Linda did her trademark fist pump with Blu.

"Goodbye, my lovely macaws..."

The five birds flew down to the door flap and exited one by one. They traversed the Amazon, heading back to their nest for a welcome sleep.

Linda and Tulio turned in as well, soon falling into a joyful sleep as they thought of the adorable macaw chicks...


	3. So Much More To See!

**Chapter 3:So Much More To See!**

Two weeks have passed since the introduction of Blu and Jewel's children to their friends, and Linda and Tulio. They have grown remarkably since then, and the features they possessed at birth have grown more prominent.

Some of Ricardo's near indigo feathers have started to lighten, creating a eye-catching pattern on his wings.

The feathers behind Vicente's head have curled up strongly, and his tail has grown unusually long, almost matching the length of his father's.

The curtain of feathers on Esperanza's nape has stiffened and lengthened as well, allowing it to bounce rhythmically when ever she moves her head.

They, as well as their father, have developed an extensive Portuguese vocabulary, and they have finally polished their flight skills.

They were all busy having breakfast one cool morning, brainstorming the adventures they could undertake to occupy themselves.

Vicente turned to his sister. "Hey, Esperanza. What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know, Vicente. Maybe we could ask our Mama to let us explore the jungle..."

"Good idea! I will tell them!" He turned and got his parent's attention. "Mama! Papa! Esperanza has an idea!"

Esperanza scolded her brother in response, since she was the shyest of the three. "Come on, Vic! Why do you always make _me _tell our parents everything?"

He gave her a sly look and continued eating.

Jewel asked, "What do you want to tell me, _minha filha_?"

She grew slightly nervous as she spoke, even though she knew it was totally unnecessary. "I-I was wondering if, maybe, we could explore t-the jungle."

"Don't be nervous, Esperanza. I appreciate your input. Still, I think the jungle is too monotonous for exploring. What do you say, Blu?"

"I agree. Say, what if we took an expedition across Rio? This sanctuary is too...how should I put it...restrained, in terms of activity. Out in the city, there is so much more to see!"

"_Grande ideia, pai_!"

"Yeah, what Vicente said. Great idea, father!"

"Thank you, children. How about it Jewel?"

"I have to say, it is a very worthy plan."

"When can we leave, Mama?" She noticed that their faces were stained with several different colored splotches.

"We will leave as soon as we get you three cleaned up. Your faces are so messy!"

"Where will we do that?"

"There is a small pond near the border of the Sanctuary. We will show you where, for future reference."

Blu and Jewel left the hollow first, their three children close behind.

After a few minutes of determined flight, the sounds of the city became apparent: The rumble of the cars chugging down the nearby roads, the chatter of the humans, and the dinging of the distant trolley bells.

However, another sound was layered beneath the noise, a soft, bubbling din.

Just as they reached the metal screen that encircled most of the Sanctuary, they alighted on some soggy ground, watching their parents part a screen of moss just ahead.

Blu said, "In here, children. Get cleaned up. But take your time! The city isn't going to vanish in five minutes!"

The three macaws filed past them and spied a small pond, being fed by what looked like a half-buried pipe.

A small column of water was erupting into the pool, like a geyser in miniature. They stepped up to the pool and began dipping their faces into it.

Once thoroughly soaked, they faced each other and began wiping away the juice stains.

"There you go, Ricardo. All better!"

"Now, let me see your face, Vicente. Oh, looks like your brother missed a spot! And...now you are clean! Now, wipe _my_ face, _por favor._"

Once they were all clean, they slipped back through the moss curtain to their waiting parents.

Blu studied them and exclaimed, "_Muito melhor! _Now you actually resemble Spix's Macaws!"

Ricardo pleaded, "Can we go now, Papa? I can't wait to see Rio! The jungle is so boring, and...and..._green._.."

"Yes, we can go. Today is going to be an exciting day!"

He flapped his wings and rose into the sky, following Jewel's lead this time.

They followed the screen until they came across one of the exit openings, which was merely a sizable hole in the wire mesh.

Blu and Jewel squeezed their way through, dropping to the ground on the other side. Their three children soon followed, and they rose into the air once again, signaling the start of their adventure...

Their first stop took them to the very cliff that the hang gliders launched themselves from, and the very cliff where Blu attempted, and failed, to fly off of.

"Did you know that your father was once a flightless bird?"

"Really, Papa? You couldn't fly? Why!"

"Well, you see, Linda's bookstore was so small that I didn't need to. So, I lost my prowess in that area. I guess it was a good thing that I met your mother, or I probably never would have learned how to fly again!"

"How did you help him, Mama?"

She gave a passionate smile and replied, "_Eu o beijei. Tal como este!_" She snatched her mate up and gave him a long, juicy kiss.

"Ew, gross, Mama!" They turned away in disgust.

She released him, and he gasped for breath. "Just like that!"

"It's true, children. Your mother fell from a plane that belonged to some smugglers, and she had a broken wing. I jumped out after her, thinking we were going to die. Then she did _that, _and I flew her to safety!"

Esperanza whispered, "Wow, that wasn't awkward at all..."

"Are you ready to ride the thermals and fly alongside the hang gliders?"

"Yes we are, mother!"

"It's not like ordinary flying. It's on a whole different level of wonderful!"

Blu's children watched nervously as he fell backwards over the edge, only to rocket back into the air, flying off into the distance beneath the clearing sky.

They turned slowly back towards their mother, and she exclaimed, "Well?"

She watched as they leaped into the air, feeling themselves being pushed higher and higher by the bubbles of warm air.

Ricardo shouted, "This really_ is _wonderful! I feel like I could fly forever!

The two brothers flew together inside of one thermal, while their sister flew inside another, all by herself.

Their parents flew together inside another, although they were some distance away.

"Hey Ricardo, _cuidado_!"

He turned his head just in time to see the edge of a hang glider slicing through the air, and it was coming right for him! He executed a near perfect loop that took him up and over the glider, allowing it to pass safely beneath him.

"Hey, that was a slick move, _irmão_!"

"_Obrigado_, Vicente."

All five of the macaws danced and wheeled through the air, fueled partly by the warm bubbles of air all around them, and the bubbles of joy that were bursting inside them as well.

After a few hours of this, Blu and Jewel rounded them up and brought them back to the cliff. They were visibly exhausted, but they knew it was all worth it.

"That was so much fun! Why do we have to stop?"

"Because, Ricardo, there are still plenty more experiences here! Where should we go now, Jewel?"

"I would like to show them to someone who is not one of us, if you know what I mean..."

"Huh? You are confusing me, Jewel?"

"By that someone, I mean a certain four-legged drool factory..."

"Are you talking about Luiz?"

"Of course I am! He doesn't even know that we have any children! I hope he doesn't try to _rip our throats out_over it!"

"You never know. He just might!"

"Hey, wait, Papa. Who is this Luiz?"

"Oh, you'll see, Esperanza. You'll see..."

After a crazy flight across the bustling city, five macaws landed just outside of a decrepit building, smelling strongly of oil and rusted metal. They crept through a gap in the corrugated aluminum wall, finding themselves in almost complete darkness.

Fearing what was coming, Jewel called out his name a few times. They heard only dense silence in response.

As they made their way in between ghostly cars and past fearsome machines, a loud crash made them all jump.

"I think only one thing could have caused that, Blu. Let's go see where it came from..."

They ended up in a dark corner of the garage, and they saw a hulking form tugging repeatedly at something.

"Luiz, is that you?"

The figure stopped for a moment, before turning around and shouting, "Hey! How is it going you two? Wait, yous brought little ones!"

He walked happily towards them, but he tripped over a stray wooden board. He fell forward onto the floor, and the board knocked into a section of the wall.

The section broke loose and dropped to the floor. All of the birds scattered, except for Blu and Jewel.

The jagged aluminum panel landed on top of them, squishing them to the cold floor and scraping their backs.

"Ow! Can you please get this off of us?" Luiz dragged the panel off of them, allowing them to stand, and breathe.

"Looks like yous got some nasty scratches on your back, yo."

Their children came over and gazed at their parents' backs. Some of the feathers had been completely gouged off, and a few red cuts ran down their pale skin.

Jewel asked painfully, "How bad is it?"

Vicente replied, "Both of your backs are missing feathers, and you have a few cuts as well."

"Great. Just great. All we wanted to do was show you our children, and now this..."

"Hey, don't worry, yo. It'll be okay! Anyways, Yous got some nice babies. What are your names?"

"I am Vicente. I am Esperanza. I am Ricardo."

"Oooh, them be some hot names, man!"

They all three replied, "_Obrigado_, Luiz."

"So, catch me up on what yous been doin' all this time..."

One painful conversation later, they all said goodbye to Luiz and exited his dangerous garage.

"Looks like the sun is going down. I think we have time for one more event. Where should we go, Jewel?" The dinging of a nearby trolley heralded the answer.

"Let's -ow- take our children on the trolley. Maybe it will help us block out the -ah- pain."

"We have to hurry though. It's about to leave the station. Come on!"

Vicente, Ricardo, and Esperanza made they journey up towards the station faster than their parents. They landed on the roof of the trolley, waiting for them to show up.

Just as it lurched forwards, Blu and Jewel collapsed onto it, in obvious pain from the flight.

Ricardo sidled up to his mother and asked, "Will you be okay, Mama?"

"Yes. It is...nothing."

Esperanza added, "What about you, Papa?"

"I-I think so. The cuts seem to be healing. Still a bit sore, though."

The trolley slowly coasted through the winding streets of Rio, passing nearly every kind of scenery imaginable.

They passed many shops, restaurants, favelas, and seaside views on their relaxing ride. A light breeze was rushing through all of their feathers, and it felt wonderful.

"This is so pretty, huh, sister?"

"Indeed, Vicente. So lovely and peaceful..."

As the trolley neared the end of its journey, Blu noticed a large expanse of jungle to his right. "Hey, Jewel, look over there. We are close to the Sanctuary. We should get off now."

She shouted to her children, who were perched at the front of the vehicle. "Vicente, Ricardo, Esperanza! Time to go back home! Follow us!"

They turned around and pursued their parents back through the steel netting, arriving back in the safety of the jungle.

Finding their home took longer than usual, since Blu and Jewel had grown confused, for some reason. "Hey, Jewel. Where are you going? It's this way!" "No no, no. It's over here, remember?"

Esperanza had finally found it, and she had to work hard to convince her parents of its true whereabouts.

They settled down in the roomy hollow, Vicente, Esperanza, and Ricardo on one side, Blu and Jewel on the other.

Their children soon dozed off due to exhaustion, while their parents succumbed to sleep in the midst of a haze that clouded their vision, and their minds.

"W-what is wrong with us, B-Blu? I have never f-felt so horrible..." "I w-wish I knew t-the answer to that question, my dear...But I don't..."


	4. Slipping Away

**Chapter 4:Slipping Away**

The next morning, Vicente, Ricardo, and Esperanza awoke before their parents, which gave them cause for concern.

The pale light that filtered into the hollow revealed a terrible sight: Blu and Jewel's feathers had grown ragged and frail, and their eyes were half open and bloodshot.

"What on Earth is wrong with them?"

"I have no clue, Esperanza. But they look _so _sick."

Their parents swayed as they got up, and their voices sounded hoarse as they spoke. "Good morning, C-children. How was y-your sleep?"

Vicente replied, "It was okay, Mama. Why do you and Papa look so bad?"

"We don't know. We feel t-terrible. We think this will pass over s-soon, though..."

Their children found it hard to eat their breakfast, due to the crushing worry they were experiencing.

Blu and his mate however, found it impossible to even consume a single berry.

"Could you try to eat, Mama? You need to keep your strength up. You will never get better if you don't."

"I am sorry, son. I j-just can't. I don't have it in me."

She and Blu retreated to a corner of the hollow and collapsed against the wall, their ragged tails sticking out in front of them.

"What should we do? We can't just sit here and let them suffer..."

"I know, Ricardo. Looking at them makes me feel like I am sharing their pain. But who could we talk to?"

"I think we should try to find Rafael and Eva. They might know something. One of their children might have gotten sick before..."

"Good idea, Vicente! Let's tell them." They turned and approached the dreadful forms of their parents.

"Y-yes, _meus filhos_?"

"We are going to try to find out what is wrong with you and Mama. We are going to head over to Rafael's place, ok?"

"No you w-will not...You don't know the way...You might get lost..."

"But, Papa! We can't leave you and Mama like this! We love you too much for that!"

"I am sorry, but it is too much of a risk..."

The three siblings decided that they were going to leave anyway, for their parents' sake. They knew they would be angry with them, but they had no choice.

They walked towards the edge of the hollow, saying, "We are sorry. But we have to help you. We will be back soon..." They all leaped from the edge and flew out of sight.

Jewel strained to speak, since her beak felt like it was tied shut. "Just w-wait until they get b-back, Blu...They are in so much t-trouble..."

He struggled to lift a wing, finally laying it gently on his mate's chest. "You h-have to forgive them, dear. They are doing it out of honest l-love..."

The strange mental haze returned once more, dragging the sick macaw couple into a feverish sleep...

The three siblings tore through the vast Sanctuary, soon realizing that finding Rafael's home was more difficult than they had expected. They stopped for a short rest in a palm tree, trying to formulate a more effective search plan.

Ricardo stepped in front of his brother and sister. " This isn't working! We need to split up! Each of us needs to cover a different section of the jungle. But we can't all leave at once. I will stay here as the relay post."

But where should we go? This place is so...big!"

"I think I have a solution to that problem, sister. You will scout out the southwest sector of the jungle, and Vicente will cover the southeast. Come back and report to me in half an hour, or sooner, if you find him. Got it?"

They took a fix on the sun's position to determine where they needed to search. "We got it, Ricky!"

The two macaws took off to their respective search areas, each of them hoping to find Rafael's nest. Sadly, they found nothing, and they returned to the palm tree with their reports.

"Okay, now we know that he doesn't live in the south half of the jungle. Now all we have to do is search the north half. Esperanza, you stay here and rest, and I will head out with Vicente."

"Hurry back, you two!"

Their flight was much easier, since they both knew that one of them would find Rafael's nest. Luck soon sided with Vicente, who caught sight of a strange multicolored object buried in a dragon fruit bush. He lighted down and stuck his head into the bush. "Rafael? Is that you?"

"Ahh! Blu! You scared me! You are Blu, aren't you?"

"No, I am his son, Vicente. Blu and Jewel are sick! We need your help!"

"_Ay caramba_! I will take you to my nest. We can talk there!" He started to flap his wings, but Vicente stopped him.

"I have to go tell my brother and sister first! Come with me!"

He led Rafael back through the jungle, seeing his brother and sister perched in the palm tree.

"Good job, Vic. You found him!"

"Hey, how have you two-"

"There's no time for talk. We need to go, Rafael!"

The four birds hurriedly followed Rafael back to his nest, memorizing landmarks to aid them in the future. They lighted down outside of the tree and immediately got down to business.

"So, what is wrong with your parents? What are their symptoms?"

"W-well. Their feathers are all ragged, and they can't eat. Their eyes are red, and..." Rafael just nodded as Ricardo listed the symptoms.

"I think I know what is afflicting them, but I need to when they started feeling down, and what happened before they got that way. "

The strange events that occurred back in Luiz's garage were still fresh in their minds.

"A couple days ago, Blu and Jewel took us to go see Luiz. We found him in his garage, and as he came to say hi, he knocked a piece of the wall down, on accident. It landed on them, and when we got it off, they had scratches on their backs. We thought nothing of it, until we decided to head home."

"What happened then?"

"They couldn't find the way back to our home. My sister was the one who found it. We all fell asleep pretty fast, and when we woke up, they looked horrible..."

Rafael donned a confident look as Vicente finished speaking. "Your parents must have the old metal disease. Luiz was sick with it too, a few years ago. Man, was it bad! But Luiz is a tough dog, and he pulled through after a few days."

"That is a strange name for a disease. Do you think you can help our parents?"

Rafael's smile faded, and he looked at the ground. "I know what it is, but that is all. I don't have a clue about how to cure it. I am sorry..."

A look of shock and fear washed over the three macaws. Esperanza shouted, "Well, where does that leave us, Rafael! We are no closer to saving my parents! This was all just a big waste of time!" She walked off from the group and began to sob uncontrollably.

"What do we do? *sniff* They are probably *sniff* dying right now, and we don't know how to save them..."

Ricardo walked over and laid a wing on his sister. "Hey, I know you are sad. We're all sad. But there is still one thing we can try."

"Oh, yeah. *sniff* What is that?"

"We have to see...if we can lead Tulio and Linda...to our home..."

"Wow. I-I guess I never thought of that. W-what are we waiting for, then?" She and her brother waked back over to stand in front of Rafael and Vicente.

"We are going to go to Linda and Tulio's house. We have to try and lead them to our parents. It is our last option."

Rafael said, "That is a great idea. I will come with you."

Ricardo nodded to his siblings and rose into the air, followed by two macaws and a brightly colored toucan.

The flight to the Sanctuary building did not take long, but that fact did little to bolster the fading hope the three macaws felt.

They squeezed their way past the door flap and onto the soft carpet floor. They saw neither Tulio or Linda as they flew throughout the house, calling incessantly.

However, Rafael saw two strange silhouettes moving outside the rear window. "Hey, guys I think they are in the back. I see their shadows!"

They left the building the way they entered, circling around to the rear porch. They saw the objects of their search rocking in a patio swing.

The three macaws began causing a ruckus, soon catching their attention. "It's Blu and Jewel's children! Look at how big they have grown! But, why aren't Blu and Jewel with them?"

"That is a good question, Linda. That is really strange..."

The macaws grew even more frantic, and they soon lifted off and headed back home, hoping that the two humans would get the message.

"They are trying to tell us something, Linda. They were going crazy! Maybe we should follow them!" They took off after them, pounding down the worn jungle trail, the toucan following close behind.

Tulio and Linda arrived at the macaws' nest, nervous and sweating heavily. Rafael gently brought Blu and Jewel down, one by one, to the waiting humans.

He held Jewel, while Linda held Blu, and he quickly looked them over. "This is very bad, Linda. They are burning up, and their muscles are cramping constantly. Oh, my! Their eyes are so irritated! Look!"

She gazed into Blu's red eyes and cringed.

"We need to take them back to the lab. Quickly! I have a reasonable clue as to what is affecting them..."

"What is that, Tulio?"

"A disease caused by _Clostridium tetani: _Rust poisoning..."

Back at the lab, in the austere treatment room, Tulio was gathering all the tools he would need to treat the two macaws.

_Diazepam, check. Metronidazole IV, check. Tetanus vaccination, check._He gathered all he would need, but was it already too late? He prayed deeply that it wasn't.

He sedated them both to ease the strain on their bodies, since their whole bodies would occasionally seize up, as all of their muscles contracted at once.

After he injected them with the diazepam and the vaccination, he decided to put them on an IV treatment of the metronidazole IV.

He gently taped the IV needles into place on the macaws' backs, and placed them, belly up, into separate cages. He returned to the others, ready to give his report.

"Well?"

"I sedated them, and gave them an IV to fight the infection. It is all I can do, for now. This infection has been going on for some time. I will have to keep them on the IV for at least ten days. We will have to just wait and see if they pull through..."

Rafael and the three macaws simply gazed at the ground, hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst.

"Will they make it? Please tell me they will! They have to!"

"I-I don't know, Linda. My heart is telling me that...that...they are slipping away..."

* * *

><p><strong><strong>AN: The final two chapters of this story will introduce 2-3 OC's that I have developed. As of right now, they are nameless, however. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Send me any name suggestions you come up with in a PM, please. Thanks so much for your help!** **


	5. The Stalking

**Chapter 5:The Stalking**

After not ten days, but _twenty_days of constant and unwavering commitment on Tulio's behalf, Blu and Jewel's disease-riddled bodies finally beat back the infection.

They seemed well enough, in his trained eyes, to be allowed to wake from their sedated sleep, which would be the first step to their recovery.

Their overall appearance had suffered as a result, but neither Tulio, Fernando, Linda, or the three macaws cared. All they deemed important was that Blu and Jewel were breathing, and that their twin hearts were beating.

Whether it was the grace of God, or Tulio's skilled treatment allowed Blu and his mate to live, they would never know. Perhaps the distant stone statue on the crest of Corcovado had lived up to its name.

Tulio had agreed to let the others visit them, one by one, in the cages that had been their deathbeds for nearly three weeks.

The last visitors that sidled up to the tiny enclosures were none other than the victim's children. The three macaws crept in front of the two cages that sat next to each other, peering slowly in at their semi-conscious parents.

"_Olá__,__ querida mãe. Olá, querida pai. Temos saudades._"

Blu and Jewel, who were now laying on their bellies, craned their heads towards their children. "_Olá, queridos filhos..._" They laid their heads back down on the soft blankets, smiling feebly at their caring offspring.

The needles were still buried in their backs, but Tulio planned on removing them today. "How do you feel, Mama and Papa?"

Jewel muttered, "Sleepy, so sleepy...and proud...of you three..."

Her mate added, "You held on...to the hope that we...would survive...and here we are..."

Tulio came in just then, walking over to the two table-top IVs that drained the life saving medicine into the two macaws. He briefly stopped the machines and replaced the near empty medicine pouches.

"This is your last dose, you two. It also has an antidote to the diazepam, to wake you up. It will sting, and I am sorry for that..."

He restarted the machines with a push of a button, and a steady hum filled the air. He then trotted quietly from the austere room.

A few moments later, Blu and Jewel's eyes squeezed shut, and their bodies quivered visibly as the diazepam antidote flooded their bloodstream. The two macaws then gave muffled moans of agony as the medicine took effect.

Their children sat and watched for a few heartbreaking minutes as their battered parents endured yet even more pain.

However, they soon smiled as Blu and Jewel fully opened their lovely eyes, no longer tainted by that horrible red hue that had been caused by the infection.

"Mama? Papa? Are you awake?"

"We t-think so. We still need to get our energy back..."

Tulio re-entered the room and motioned for the three macaws to leave.

"We will be with you soon. Run along, children. Go back to the nest. We will meet you there..."

The macaws hesitated, but finally obeyed, casting warm glances at their parents before gliding from the room.

"I think you two are well enough for the IVs to come out. Come here, you brave macaws..."

They hesitantly rose to their feet and tested their balance, before walking slowly towards the now open cage doors.

"Try to be still, while I withdraw the needles..."

He slowly peeled the medical tape from each of their backs before sliding the silver spears from their backs. In their places, he attached small balls of cotton with strips of tape.

The two macaws brandished two faint smiles when Tulio gazed at them.

"Can you try to fly? This is the last thing I will ask you to do. I promise..."

They looked at each other nervously, before spreading their wings and rising into wobbly flights. Blu managed to glide safely down to the door, while Jewel crashed onto the tile next to him.

"H-hey, be careful! Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I think Tulio needs to carry us back to our nest. I don't think I c-can exactly fly a-at one-hundred percent yet..."

"Me n-neither..."

Tulio exclaimed, "Woah! careful, Jewel! Maybe you need to lay off of the flying for today. I will carry you back to your nest. Don't worry..."

Finally back at their home deep in the jungle, a problem presented itself to Blu and Jewel: How they were going to get back to their elevated nest.

Tulio tried to scale the tree, but the slick, mossy bark made that option impossible, and he feared he would drop them. Their children finally worked out a solution, opting to carry their parents up in their talons.

As soon as Blu and Jewel were safely back in the hollow, they shambled over to the corner and slept, hoping to have their strength back by the next morning.

Down below, Tulio shouted "I hope you two feel better! Try to eat when you can, and no flying for today! Come to me if you have any problems! Bye, now!"

The macaw chicks peered out and watched him fade into the leafy distance. They turned back to their peacefully snoozing parents and whispered, "_Nós te amamos. Nós vamos cuidar de você. Sempre..._"

Meanwhile, as the two macaws were hoisted back into their hollow, a mysterious bird was observing them once again from a nearby tree. She had hidden herself behind some palm leaves, so that she could see out, but no one could see in.

_Hmmm. Looks like those two are back home again. I wonder what kept them away for so long? No matter. I will find out soon enough. Tomorrow, I will go and make 'friends' with these macaws. Then, the true enjoyment I have missed for so long shall begin..._

_**Flashback:23 days prior...**_

_A pair of strange birds had just arrived in the city of Rio,searching for a special place called the "Blu Bird Sanctuary"._

They had asked the locals as to its whereabouts, and they explained to them its location.

When the two birds asked how they knew, they replied that it was home to a pair of rare macaws who had become well known in Rio because of their numerous club performances.

As they neared their destination, they caught sight of a wooden tower rising from the nearby jungle. Finding their way through the metal screen, they flew up and alighted on the railing.

They stared at a large wooden sign that bore the words "Blu Bird Sanctuary", along with a profile view of a macaw head.

The male said, "Looks we have found it, my dear. Our new home."

"Indeed we have. We should search for a suitable nest, and try to find that pair of celebrity macaws."

The male replied, "What are we waiting for?" The two macaws then took off into the sacred area, anxious to start their new lives...

_Three days later, having found a roomy hollow in a rather dark and secluded sector of the jungle, the female went out in search of those two macaws._

As she progressed into the more sunlit areas of the jungle, she caught sight of not two, but five macaws inside of a large, solitary tree just ahead.

She hid herself behind some fern leaves at the edge of the clearing, and began to observe them.

She muttered, "Well, well. Looks like our "guests" have children. That could be a problem in the future. Oh well, that can be dealt with later. For now, I must gather more information about this 'happy family', before I decide on how to approach them."

However, as the female returned with her mate the following morning, a strange sight revealed itself: None of the macaws in question were anywhere in sight.

The male queried, "Where could they have gone, dear?"

"I have no clue. Let's explore a little."

The two confused macaws flew into the empty nest and found nothing, save for a few stray feathers and a small pile of berries.

"What do we do now?"

"All we can do is wait, and hope for their return, my big handsome mate."

They fled the hollow and returned to their own.

After that discovery, the female returned daily to the

_hollow, keeping track of how many days the macaws were absent._

On the twenty-third day, she saw a joyful sight: The macaws were being lifted back into the hollow by their children, and they looked worn down.

A sinister smile flashed on the female's face, and she vowed that she would execute her plan the following day...

_**End Flashback**_

Their long sleep was a welcome one, and when Blu and Jewel awoke rather late in the afternoon, they felt semi-restored to their previous condition. They were alert and jovial, and they felt well enough to begin eating again.

They did not rush their meal, however. They slowly swallowed a few nuts and berries as their children looked on happily.

They had allowed their chicks to gather the food, since they were still unable to fly.

"_Como foi a comida_?"

Jewel carefully downed a mango chunk and replied, "_Em uma palavra, celestial!_"

Their father added, "I never thought that a regular old mango could taste so _good_!"

They finished their light meal and attempted to fly once again.

They managed to hover just in front of their nest for a few seconds, but they quickly became fatigued and had to turn back.

They had wanted to head out and go visit Rafael, but they just didn't possess the strength.

Although their children wanted them to come, they knew that they couldn't.

"Y-you will have to go visit Rafael a-and Eva without us. Tell them that we are fine, except that we just tire easily. You can stay until the sun sets, and _no later._ _Você_ _entendeu_?"

"Yes, Papa. We understand! We love you. Bye!"

Vicente and Ricardo lifted off, but Esperanza paused and gave her father a sweet kiss on his face. "I love you, Papa!"

"I love you too, Esperanza. Take care!"

The two macaws went to their corner of the hollow, reclining gently against each other. "Aren't you glad we have such caring children, _minha __querida_?"

"What we do without them? I think that that disease would have taken our lives, had it not been for them..."

Jewel gave her mate a quick kiss and placed her head on his chest. They rested there in blissful silence, until a few taps on the edge of the hollow grabbed their attention.

Blu whispered, "_Quem poderia ser, meu amor_?"

Jewel muttered, "I don't know. I will go see." She hoisted herself off of Blu and trotted over to the opening.

She peeked her head out, but no other creatures were in sight. Just then, a flash of blue caught her attention.

Something landed on a nearby branch, and as Jewel focused, she received quite a shock. It was a slightly decrepit macaw, and it looked just like herself!

Thinking that the bird was a native, Jewel asked, "_Olá! Quem é você? Você é novo por aqui_?"

The macaw gave a her a blank look. "What?"

"Oh, sorry! I thought you were from around here! Where did you come from?"

The macaw straightened her composure and replied, " My name is Valentina. I came from another part of Brazil. I came to Rio to live with my mate. I have been here for almost a month now, and I have heard a lot about you!"

Jewel's face grew a slightly puzzled look. "What do you mean? What _have_you heard?"

"When I asked some of the locals to tell me the way to this sanctuary, they said that two famous macaws lived here. Does your name happen to be...Jewel?"

"Uh, why yes."

"And I take it that you have a mate named Blu, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then it looks like I have found the right macaws!"

Just then, Blu sidled up next to his mate. "Who is this, Jewel? She looks like a macaw...a Spix's Macaw..."

"I am indeed a Spix's Macaw! My name is Valentina. Nice to meet you, Blu!" She offered him her talon in greeting.

He hesitantly shook it with his own, before asking, "How do you know my name?"

Jewel was about to speak, but the other macaw cut her off.

"I came here to live with my mate, and when I asked some residents for directions on how to get here, they said that two of The Palm's favorite guests lived here, too. So I guess I found them!"

"That you did. Since you found our nest, where might_ yours _be?"

"It is on the other side of the sanctuary, Blu. I would love for you and your mate to be my new neighbors, if you don't mind!"

"Uh, sure! It is a bit lonely around here, even with our friends and children to keep us company!"

"Where are they, by the way?"

"Oh, they went to go visit some of our toucan friends. They probably won't be back for awhile."

_Perfect...Now I can lure them __away, without any witnesses to speak of!_

"I would love to introduce you to my mate as well. Can you come?"

"Uh, we don't know. We have only recently recovered from a terrible illness, and it has left us very weak. It may sound odd, but we can't fly..."

The other macaw gave them a concerned look and replied, "How dreadful! At least you managed to survive. Surely you must be thankful for that."

"If only you knew..."

"Well, you could always walk. It shouldn't take_ too_long."

"I suppose we could, but how will we get down from _here_?"

"I saw you two hovering earlier. Can't you just float your way down?"

"That just might work. Hey wait, you _saw _us earlier? Were you spying on us?"

The female instantly looked on edge to them. "U-uh, no! I was just gathering food, just over there, and I happened to catch sight of you."

_How foolish of me! I must be careful to not blow my cover ever again! At least they believed my lie. What clueless birds they are..._

"Well? Are you two coming, or not?"

After a descent to the ground, and an awkward trek through the Sanctuary, they ended up in a shadowy part of the jungle, at the foot of an ancient looking tree.

"My hollow is just up there. Can you make it?"

They noted that the trunk was encircled by scores of knobby outgrowths, which would prove to be very useful.

"We will have to climb our way up. We will meet you in just a minute!"

The female macaw disappeared into her hollow, and the two flightless birds clambered up the trunk.

Upon arriving in the hollow, they caught sight of another macaw, who looked even older than the female. Despite his frayed feathers and sullen eyes, Blu and Jewel could feel vigor and love radiating from him.

Something about the way his tail curved up sharply at the end stirred something distant and long forgotten inside Jewel, but she thought nothing of it.

As he turned around and gazed at them, a sudden flash of recognition passed over his face, but it faded just as quickly.

"Hello! My name is Jewel, and this is my mate, Blu. What is your name?"

"Hello. My name is...Vick. How are you?"

"Just fine. This is quite a large hollow you have! It is very nice!"

"Yes. I suppose so. Me and Val have come to enjoy it. Well, I am very tired, so if you don't mind, I am going to turn in for the day."

They merely nodded and watched him slink off to another room in the hollow.

Valentina soon emerged from another area and walked up to them. "Please forgive him. He can be a bit abrupt at times!"

"Oh, it's okay! He seems like quite the charming mate. How did you two meet?"

"I found him many years ago, in southern Brazil. I was about twenty years old then.

I was flying through the jungle at night, just to experience the sheer pleasure it brought me, when I found him high an a palm tree.

He was wracked with sadness. I asked him what had happened, and he said that his mate of twenty five years had been killed earlier that day.

I asked him how, and he said they were out eating in the jungle, and a python grabbed her.

He told me he bit and tore at the snake, but it was no use. He watched in horror as the snake crushed the life out of his mate.

He flew off before the snake proceeded to devour her. And that is when I found him..."

Blu and Jewel sat there in shock, unable to comprehend the tragedy that had just been laid out for them.

Blu muttered, "He must miss her. I don't think I could ever deal with that kind of heartbreak. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost my Jewel..."

"It depresses me as well. But I comforted him, and I slowly put forth the idea of me becoming his mate.

He accepted after a few days, and here we are. I think it has helped him move on, in a way. He told me he wanted to leave the site of that tradegy behind, so we came to Rio."

"He must appreciate what you did for him. He must love you, too."

"Yes, Jewel. He does. But he has told me countless times that, although he has a new mate, he will never forget his dear Julieta, because of what he saw as she died."

"W-what was that?"

She drew a breath and replied, "Her frantic cries for help, and her cries of pain. The look in her eyes as the coils closed around her face, the sound of her wings being broken..."

"Okay. You c-can stop now! I don't want to have nightmares..."

"I apologize for being so descriptive, but that was the reality for Vick."

"Did he mention any children?"

"If I can remember correctly, yes. He said his mate had laid a single egg, and that egg became a daughter. But shortly after she hatched, the events I described took place, and he had to abandon her.

He just knew that his daughter did not survive long without her parents. That also troubled him deeply. He doesn't even remember her name..."

"Wow. That was a very intense story, and one we won't soon forget! We thank you for inviting us over. But we must head home now. Our children are probably waiting for us."

"May I ask you to sleep here tonight? I would appreciate the company!"

"That is a kind offer, but we really must be going..."

"Nonsense! You just sleep here tonight, and I will go tell your children myself that you are at a neighbors' house. Please?"

Blu and Jewel stared long and hard at each other, contemplating their decision.

They didn't want to appear rude to their new neighbors, especially they had been so kind to them. But then again, they sorely missed their children.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay the night. But tomorrow, we will be leaving as soon as we wake up. Deal?"

"Yes, of course. Deal!"

They nodded to Valentina and retreated into a small space in the hollow, soon falling into a peaceful sleep.

Valentina did indeed inform their children of their whereabouts, but she knew she wasn't finished with the two macaws just yet. She returned and saw that they had already fallen asleep.

_Good. Very good! Rest yourselves, because tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you two!_

She moved into her own quarters, and as she relaxed on a soft, mossy nest, a long, shiny creature coiled itself around her body and fell asleep as well, its eyes glinting with the satisfaction the next day would bring...


	6. Enslaved

**Chapter 6:Enslaved**

A thick moss screen over the entrance to the hollow blocked out most of the light from the rising sun. Blu and Jewel remained asleep, until a soft, lilting voice enfolded them.

"Wake up, you two sleepy heads. The sun has already risen..." Valentina's gentle words brought the two macaws out of the depths of sleep.

"Well, good morning! It is going to be a lovely day!"

Blu yawned and said, "Uhhh. Good...morning, Valentina."

They roused themselves to full alertness after a few minutes, and they realized that they had held up their part of the deal. Now it was Valentina's turn.

"Thank you for staying the night with me. I appreciate it!"

"You are most welcome. Now, we will be heading home now..."

Just as they near the curtain of moss, Valentina stops them once more. "Wait! Why don't you stay for breakfast! Just this one last favor!"

The two macaws grew flustered with Valentina's so called 'favors'. "No, no, no. _We_ are going _home_."

"B-but, surely you must be hungry! You can take any food we don't finish back to your children. It will be a unifying feast for our friendship!"

The macaws did feel slightly hungry, and it was a very kind offer by the female. "If you insist, we shall stay and eat with you. But then, we will head home. Understood?"

"Completely."

"But, you have no food."

"I will head out with Vick and collect some."

She turned to another corner of the hollow and shouted, "Vick, dear! I am going to collect some fruit for breakfast. I am going to need your help!"

Valentina's mate crept drowsily into the room and shook himself awake. "I am here, dear. L-let's go..."

"We will return as soon as possible!"

Valentina and her mate parted the moss curtain and slowly rose into flight.

After they had vanished from sight, Blu and Jewel said, "Take as long as you want..."

Blu and Jewel paced around in sheer boredom, and deep frustration. As the two macaws neared Valentina's hollow, a flash of movement in the far corner caught their attention.

When they trotted over to inspect, they saw no evidence as to what had caused it. They merely shrugged and re-entered the main hollow, awaiting the return of the two macaws.

A short distance away, as Vick and his mate finished plucking fruit from a palm tree, Valentina landed in front of him. "Hey, Vick."

"Yes, my dear?"

She walked up to him tauntingly and wrapped him in her wings. "I have been craving something. I think today is the perfect day for you to satisfy that craving..."

"U-uh, I am not following you, dear..."

"I want you to give me children. Those two other macaws look so happy. I want to experience for myself the joy that their children bring them..."

Vick was left in shock by her sudden request. "I-I don't know if I am up for it..."

A look of sadness passed over her face. "P-please dear? It will be _so _wonderful!"

"I am sorry, dear. I just don't have the energy to take care of youngsters. You must remember, I am forty-five years old. I am past my prime. At least we can still live happily with each other!"

As she processed his refusal, she grew upset. "But, I thought you loved me! Don't you want children?"

"I _do _love you. Make no mistake about that. But I won't ever forgive myself for leaving my only child behind...my only daughter. I just don't have the heart for children. I don't deserve them..."

"Nonsense! You did what you had to do! You never would have been able to take care of her by yourself! You-"

"Please calm down, dear. Our guests are waiting for our return. Can we discuss this later?"

She gave a fiendish snort and replied, "Fine. But we _will _sort this issue out!"

They two macaws lofted into flight, heading back to their faithful guests with plenty of fruit in their talons.

In her frustration, she squeezed her talons tightly around the fruit, creating deep cuts in the soft skin.

They soon alighted in the hollow, and Valentina artfully disguised her unhappiness. "We're back! We brought lots of fresh fruit! Let's eat!"

In the middle of the tense, silent breakfast, Valentina moved off into the other room, dragging Vick along with her. She muttered, "Please forgive us. We need to discuss something..."

Blu and Jewel's meal was soon interrupted by hot whispers coming from the other room. They soon morphed into audible shouts, and Blu and Jewel watched as Vick backed out of the room in submission.

"_Que diabos está acontecendo!_"

Vick ended up against the wall of the hollow, and Valentina was fuming right in his face.

She turned to Blu and screeched, "I have no idea what you just said, but Vick here has made me very angry!"

"What on Earth did he do?"

"I will tell you, Blu! He refuses to show his love to me by refusing to have children with me! Is that too much to ask?"

They continued arguing, and Blu and Jewel slowly slipped towards the exit.

They heard another fearsome snarl come from Valentina, and it was directed at the two macaws: "Where do you think _you _are going? Hm?"

"We are going to let you reconcile your troubles in private. Goodbye."

"Oh, no you are not. You won't be going anywhere!"

She turned towards her hollow and declared, "Riphate! Stop those two macaws, now!"

Just then, a large snake slithered across the floor and reared up in front of Blu and his mate.

Jewel only had time to utter the words, "_Meu Deus_..."

"Hello, you sssstupid birdssss. I hope this hurtssss!" The snake named Riphate swung his tail and sent them reeling into the opposite wall of the hollow.

The impact stunned the two macaws, leaving them drooping against the wall in a semi-conscious state.

Vick exclaimed, "Oh, no! Blu! Jewel! I have to get out of here! Snake or not, I am done with you, Valentina!"

He charged for the exit, barreling into the snake in the process. He tried to get past, but the muscular creature was too strong.

He flung the macaw across the hollow, and as his head sickeningly struck the wall, a distant memory was jarred back into focus.

Blood sprayed across wall behind him, coating the two macaws next to him as well.

He gazed up into Jewel's eyes, and he suddenly remembered her. The way her face tilted just so, and the lovely color of her eyes.

They resembled the features of his dead mate, Julieta, and he realized that the macaw slumped next to him was none other than his daughter...the daughter he abandoned nearly sixteen years ago.

"J-Jewel? I h-have finally found y-you. After all these years of thinking you were dead...here you are...right before me..."

As the haze cleared from Jewel's vision, a similar event occurred in her brain as well. "Your name is not Vick. I-it's Vicente!"

"Yes, that is my true name..."

"You really a-are my father! I thought you and my mother were dead! I recognized the way your tail curved, when we first came here. For all these years, I have missed you..."

His smile faded as she finished speaking. "I survived, Jewel. But your mother, Julieta, did not. I am sorry..."

"Are you s-sure? How do you know?"

"I watched her die. S-she was killed by a p-python. I couldn't save her. I had no choice but to fly away. I never imagined that I would see you again. I have missed you..."

"I have missed you too, father."

"I hope that, one day, you can forgive me for abandoning you. But now, we have to escape! We must...escape..."

Jewel saw the streaks of blood running down her father's neck feathers, and she watched as he lost his grip on consciousness.

He slumped to the floor, laying on his back, with his eyes staring vacantly up at the ceiling.

"Father, no!"

"Enough of this worthless reunion! You three belong to me now!"

"Why would you do such a thing? What have we done to _you_!"

Riphate slithered up onto Valentina's shoulders in a neat coil, and he replied, "I dessspise you and your precious family! If my ssservant, Valentina, never getssss the chance to ssssee her future children, I will make ssssure that you never will either! Ah-ssss-ssss-ssss!"

Riphate flicked his crimson tongue out as he laughed maniacally.

Blu rose weakly to his talons and declared, "Just try and stop us!"

He charged straight at the sinister macaw, throwing the viper off and pinning her to the floor. He began ripping and biting the female violently.

"Riphate, get this fool off of me!"

Her voice was filled with obvious agony, which oddly pleased Blu very much.

However, he felt himself grow weightless as the chilling coils of the viper wound around him.

Riphate carried Blu across the hollow and pinned him against the wall, next to his mate. "Oh, no! Blu!"

She approached the deadly snake in hopes of freeing her mate, but Blu's plea stopped her cold.

"J-Jewel! Run! Don't try to help me! Save yourself!"

However, Valentina had moved a large, previously hidden boulder over the exit, sealing it off. The bloody macaw left streaks of red liquid on the stone, and she fixed her eyes on her viper.

In between several painful breaths, she said, "Riphate...give this macaw.. the payback...he deserves...for attacking me..."

"Requesssst granted, my sssservant!"

Jewel was submerged in unspeakable horror as, in one swift movement, Riphate lunged forward and buried his fangs deep into the top of Blu's skull...

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the jungle, Vicente, Esperanza, and Ricardo were eating their breakfast in concerned silence.

Esperanza downed a few nuts and asked, "Where are our parents? That other macaw said they were just spending the night with her. It's nearly midday, and they are still not back..."

Ricardo chided, "Oh, don't worry, sister! I bet they are staying for some breakfast. They should be back soon."

Esperanza somehow felt that that was not the case. _Why is my heart telling me that something else is going on? Is it instinct, or intuition? Should I trust my heart?_

"Hey, do you two feel strange at all?"

Her two brothers stopped eating and gave her questioning looks. "Uh, no. Why? Do _you _feel funny?"

"Well, just a little. It feels like something is going on...something very bad. My heart is sending me signals. I just don't know what they mean."

"Well, try to figure them out by yourself so we can eat, okay?"

She shrugged and walked over to her parents' nest. She sat and stared for several minutes at the scant number of blue and azure feathers in the nest.

Suddenly, a splitting pain emanated from her head, and she collapsed from the sensation.

Her two brothers immediately rushed to her side.

Her pupils were dilated and her talons were curled in.

She said nothing, and it looked like she was in a trance. Her body then started to convulse, and she moaned, "Jewel...Run...Save yourself..."

A twisted image of what looked like a snake flashed before her eyes.

She saw it rise up in front of her, catching a glimpse of two scarlet orbs, just before it struck her.

With that, the illusion came crashing down, and she found herself back in her hollow, her two brothers staring at her in shock.

"E-Esperanza? Are you alright! You looked like you were in a trance, or something. Did you see anything?"

"Ohhh, my head...it hurts so much. I s-saw a snake...it attacked me...but it wasn't real..."

"What did you say just now?"

"I-I said something? Are y-you sure?"

Ricardo and Vicente nodded. "You said...uh...'run'. And then you said 'save yourself'. You said our mother's name, too."

"Really? I don't remember saying that. I only remember the snake, and the horrible pain in my head..."

"What does it mean? Does it have something to do with our parents?"

"I-I don't know...ahhh!" She felt the crushing pain return, and another image flashed before her.

The snake appeared again, only this time, a blue figure was encircled by the snake's coils.

The figures looked like they had been constructed from smoke, but she caught a glimpse of an unmistakable feature: Three tiny feathers sprouted from the blue figure's head, and she realized immediately who they belonged to.

She watched as the snake bit her father directly on the head. "Oh no! Father!" The illusion shattered in response, and Esperanza grew frantic.

"It's our father! He's in trouble! The snake I saw...it had him trapped...and it bit him...right on his head!"

"You must be joking! That can't be true!"

"It _is _true! We have to find him!"

"B-but, we don't have a clue as to where he is!"

"They never came back from their visit with that macaw. I just know that is where he and our mother are! Let's go!"

Ricardo and Vicente tore after their sister as she led them through the jungle, almost as if she was being guided by some unknown force.

The light soon faded from the trees, and everything in sight took on a sickly, shadowed appearance.

They flew slightly slower than before in this unknown realm, and up ahead, a strange sight caught their eyes.

"Look at that tree! Something is buried in the trunk! Let's check it out!"

The three macaws approached the odd gray mass and touched it with their talons. "It's so rough! And it's solid, too! I think it's a rock!"

"Can we move it? It couldn't have gotten up here naturally, so someone must have wanted to hide something!"

"I don't know, Ricardo. It looks like it is stuck tight. We can try, though!"

The three macaws tried to roll it out of the opening, but it was too wide.

They landed on the ground for a short rest, and then continued their mission.

They decided to push on the rock instead, and they felt it budge. They then drew back and slammed into it with their bodies repeatedly.

On the third strike, the large boulder heaved from the entrance and the three macaws crashed into the opening.

As they dusted themselves off, they laid eyes on a sight they would never forget...


	7. Change Of Heart

**Chapter 7:Change Of Heart**

The illusion became reality for Esperanza and her two brothers as they laid eyes on the very snake that Esperanza had described just a short while ago, and it had its' fangs embedded in their father's skull.

They also noticed two other macaws present in this hollow of horrors: A very old-looking male was unconscious on the floor, and a female was gazing in satisfaction at the event unfolding before her.

However, a look of shock passed over her face as she realized she had intruders. "Who the hell are you three?"

"Blu and Jewel are our parents! What have you done to them?"

"Something that neither of them will forget, if they manage to escape this hollow alive! Riphate, we have some uninvited guests! Take care of them!"

The three children of Blu and Jewel flinched in horror as the towering snake extracted his fangs from Blu's head with a dreadful tearing sound, causing jets of scarlet to spray like upwards like a gruesome fountain.

Blu managed to mutter, "My children...you must leave...this snake will kill without hesitation..."

Blu made a lunge for the distracted snake, but something stopped him cold: the sensation of venom searing his veins. He sank back against the wall and his pupils opened wide. His talons curled in and he ceased to make a sound.

His neck feathers became stained with red as scarlet trails ran from his eyes.

"Father! No! We will save you!"

The three macaws rushed towards their father, but Riphate reared up in front of them.

"Not sssso fasssst! You sssshould ssssit back and watch what my venom doessss to that weak pile of featherssss!"

Jewel turned from her mate, who had started to convulse, to her children. She screamed, "We have to deal with Valentina and the snake! We have to kill them, now!"

Jewel lunged at Valentina, taking her by surprise and raking her talons across her face. However, Valentina was no inexperienced bird, and she fought back viciously.

Meanwhile a few feet away, Vicente, Esperanza, and Ricardo were having to dodge the lightning fast strikes Riphate was making.

Esperanza shouted, "We can't keep fighting defensively! It's a three on one! We have to overpower him!"

The other two macaws nodded in response, and they all advanced on the fearsome snake. They suddenly leaped onto the back of the snake, pinning him to the floor.

However, his thick muscles writhed beneath their talons, and with a violent shake, he attempted to throw them off. Ricardo was flung into a soft section of the wall, and splintered fragments of wood broke away.

The soft wood had cushioned the blow, and Ricardo seized a sizable sliver of wood in his talons. _Now I can do more damage to that horrendous thing!_

He charged at the distracted viper and swung the makeshift sword at the snake. It lacerated the snake about halfway down, causing a pool of blood to appear beneath him.

"Nice job, Ricky! Keep it up!"

Esperanza proceeded to grab the snake's neck firmly in her beak, and she used all of her might to smash the snake's head against the floor of the hollow.

Vicente had managed to force his talons in between the scales at the rear of the snake, and in one gruesome heave, he tore the snake's tail clean off, tossing the bloody stump aside and continuing his assault.

A large amount of blood was coating the floor of the hollow, and as Esperanza peered briefly into the thrashing snake's eyes, she saw them dim visibly.

Riphate's struggles grew noticeably weaker, and the three macaws knew the end of their battle was near. However, they were too absorbed to notice that their mother was not faring so well.

Despite having landed many talon strikes on the sadistic macaw, Jewel realized she was fighting a losing battle. An oddly symmetric pattern of wounds on her chest was seeping blood, and she felt the strength draining from her.

She managed to leap on Valentina's back and score it again with her talons. Valentina screeched in agony and threw Jewel off of her.

"You will never be able to kill me! You are too weak! It is I who will put you out of your misery!" She advanced towards Jewel, who was laying against the opposite wall from where her children were.

_I might not be able to kill her, but I know who can! I have to get their attention! _Jewel attempted to call out for her children, but it was rendered unrecognizable as Jewel felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Valentina had placed her right talon on Jewel's blood-streaked chest, and she slowly began closing her talons, digging them deep into her red and blue feathers.

As blood began to seep from the wound, Valentina peeled back the shredded skin, causing Jewel to scream again.

As the skin and feathers fell away, Jewel's thumping heart was visible through the small hole.

Valentina began to reach her talon in, ready to tear Jewel's heart out and declare her victory.

"Ricardo! V-Vicente! Esperanza! H-help me!"

"Shhhh...It will all end soon, you worthless bird! We fought, and I am the victor. Now say goodbye..."

After what seemed an eternity of fierce combat, the three macaws had subdued the deadly snake.

Exhausted and nearly drained of blood, Riphate was staring into Esperanza's eyes as she held his head down against the floor with her talons. Her two brothers had secured the rest of the snake's body.

"Cursssse...you..."

"Now you see what happens when you inflict pain on others. It eventually comes right back to you!"

"Should we let him live, or should we kill him, Esperanza?"

"I will let this snake make that choice." She stared deep into the viper's right eye, silently demanding an answer.

Much to their surprise, he responded, "I have ssssecretly hated that macaw ever ssssince I met her. I want nothing but to be free of her, once and for all. I assssk that you let me live, sssso I can exact my revenge on her. I will gladly sssswear my allegiance to your family, if you accept my requesssst."

"Hmmm, that is quite an abrupt change of heart, don't you think? What do you say, guys?"

Ricardo shouted, "Finish him!"

However, Vicente yelled, "I say let him live! He will be doing us a favor by killing Valentina. She is not fit to inhabit this planet. Let this snake consign her to the depths of Hell!"

Esperanza nodded at Vicente, indicating that she had sided with him. "Well, it looks like your request has been granted!"

She released the viper's head, and her two brothers stepped off of his sinuous body.

Just then, the three macaws heard their mother shout, "Ricardo! Vicente! Esperanza! Help me!"

They looked up and saw Valentina standing in front of Jewel, and her talon was extended towards their mother's chest. "Hurry! Go kill her! Save our mother!"

The viper replied, "My pleassssure!"

Riphate slowly but determinedly oozed across the crimson floor, heading straight for the one bird he had secretly hated for most of his life: Valentina.

As Valentina extended a talon towards her chest, Jewel knew that her life was over.

_I can't believe this is how it would end for us. I thought that me and Blu were going to live a long and wonderful life. All of our efforts, all of the trials we endured, all of the challenges we have conquered...were all for nothing..._

However, as Jewel shut her eyes and welcomed the embrace of death, she felt a rush of air and opened them back up. She had managed to get her children's attention, but she never imagined that the viper would be the one to go after Valentina!

The viper knocked the macaw off of Jewel and pinned her to the floor at her talons.

Her three children rushed over to her side and screamed, "Mama, are you okay? You have a hole in your chest! And you are cut up very badly!"

She had been soothed by this turn of events, and she knew that she had a fighting chance to live. "I am f-fine, _meus filhos._These c-cuts will heal, in time. W-why did that snake g-go after Valentina?"

Espreanza replied, "We subdued him just now, and I asked if he wanted to live or not. He said he wanted to live, so he could get his revenge on her. He said he had hated her since they first met. He said he would change his ways if we let him kill her."

Jewel merely sighed, and although her body was still burning from the pain, she felt that Valentina was going to get what she truly deserved: Not life, not a mate, not children, but death.

The four macaws then heard Valentina pleading for her life. "Riphate! What are you doing! We are bound in loyalty to each other! What has happened to you? I trusted you!"

The viper hissed in annoyance and replied, "You were a fool to do sssso! Do you not remember how you treated me in the monthssss after we met? I wassss nothing but your little sssstressss reliever! Whenever you were angered by ssssomething, you took it out on me!"

"B-but, that was back then! I am different now! Please spare me! I will never mistreat you again! I swear!"

"No you won't. I know you insssside and out. You will never change! I have allied myssssself those macawsssss, for they are noble and caring creaturessss. They desssserve to live. You, however, do not!"

"How could you! Damn you-" Her shout was silenced as Riphate clamped his jaws around her throat, causing streaks of blood to paint the floor.

Jewel and her children looked on in disturbed silence as her body convulsed for a few minutes, then grew still.

Riphate unhinged his jaws from his victim and turned to Jewel. "It issss done. I will be a worthy friend of you and your family for the ressst of your dayssss. Sssshall we leave thisssss curssssed hollow?"

Jewel rose slowly to her talons, and her children moved to support her battered body. As they escorted her out of the small hollow and into the main one, she glanced at the two macaws who lay motionless on the floor. "You may be worthy, but I will never forgive you for what you did to them."

"They are alright, I assssure you! I only gave them a sssssmall dosssse of my poisssson. I did that to make Valentina believe I had actually killed them. Try and wake them up."

Jewel went over to her father and nudged him repeatedly. To her surprise, he cracked his eyes open and muttered, "J-Jewel? Is that you, my daughter? A-am I alive, or am I in Heaven?"

"It is I, father. You are indeed alive. Riphate only gave you a small amount of poison. He did that to fool Valentina. He is a part of our family now."

"I am s-so happy t-that I can still be with you, Jewel...However, it will take me some time to adjust to our new friend here..."

He lifted himself off of the bloodstained floor and realized his energy was returning to him. He glanced at Blu and asked, "Is h-he alright? Maybe y-you should wake him."

Jewel nodded, but before she moved to her unconscious mate, she whispered, "Ricardo, Vicente, Esperanza, I want y-you to head home w-with Riphate. I-I will meet you there s-shortly. I need to wake your father."

She turned to her father and said, "Y-you should go with them. You need to rest a-and recover."

"If you ask me to, then I will, daughter. It won't be an easy flight, though..."

The four macaws headed for the entrance and lofted out into the cloudy afternoon, while Riphate slithered down the trunk and onto the cool ground, following them from below. Their progress was slow due to Riphate's injuries and the effects of the venom on Jewel's father.

Jewel achingly turned back to her mate and began to nudge him, ever so gently.

Jewel soon grew worried as her mate's chest simply squished in as her talon pushed against it.

She wondered if the snake had injected Blu with more venom than he claimed he did.

_Did he a-actually mean to...kill him? He said that he had only rendered them unconscious. If that is the case, then why isn't my Blu moving!_

Not a single sound or movement issued from the bloody macaw, and Jewel began to feel nauseous. "B-Blu! Please wake up! It's your mate, Jewel! It's time to go home! Our children...are waiting...for us!"

Tears began to spill from her eyes as she lowered her head to his chest. She could not feel the rise or fall of his chest, nor could she hear the soothing rhythm of his heart.

"No, no, no! You h-have to wake up! You c-can't leave me! Not now! Don't leave me alone, Blu! _Por favor, não deixá-lo ser morto! Por favor..._"

Jewel buried her eyes in her mate's chest, crying even harder as the reality that he was dead hit her full force.

"It was all Valentina's f-fault...and even though she's dead...I will never get to feel your warmth again!"

She laid there for several minutes, slowly stroking the cold body of her mate.

She lifted herself from his chest and said with puffy eyes, "Goodbye, Blu. I will m-miss you. One day...w-we will be in each others wings...again. _Mas até lá, você_ _sempre estará_ _comigo, no meu coração. _I will never forget you...no matter how hard I try..."

She noticed that his eyes were still wide open, and in one final act of closure, she pulled his eyelids down to cover them.

She trudged her way over to the hollow, and she noticed it had begun to rain heavily.

_It seems as though even the clouds are crying for him too..._

Jewel lifted off and flapped slowly through the downpour, not caring one bit at how soaked she would get, or how long it would take.

Her heart and mind were so heavy with sadness that she felt like a stone.

She deeply dreaded having to face her children, but she would do her best to comfort them and teach them that she would always be there for them.

Even though he would no longer be alive in the feathers, she vowed to make sure that they would keep their father alive, in their spirits.

Jewel soon entered the small clearing that harbored the lone cannonball tree that contained their nest. As she dejectedly landed in the hollow, she knew that the toughest moment she would ever have to endure had come.


End file.
